RSF Denounces Censorship In Name Of Religion

In a new report, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) documents censorship that is being exercised in the name of religion and God.

In the report released on December 13, the Paris-based group says news and content providers in "far too many countries" constantly face what it calls this "very special and formidable form of censorship."

RSF says that in Iran, the Persian Gulf emirates, and some Christian Orthodox countries, journalists are "branded as heretics as soon as they dare to describe the far-from-holy practices of the regime and its clergy."

If they dare to denounce the atrocities of Islamist militants in Pakistan, RSF says, they are gunned down as infidels.

The group urges international institutions to reject attempts by some governments to have "blasphemy" and "defamation of religion" treated as violations of fundamental human rights.